The Queensland Government defends giving almost $3.5 million of taxpayer dollars to the controversial Great Barrier Reef Foundation, including more than $100,000 for a smartphone app that is yet to be delivered.

Massive plumes of polluted floodwater spanning the entire coast of north-east Queensland encroaches on the outer reaches of the Great Barrier Reef, sparking a fresh threat to the beleaguered natural wonder.

Fiji's tourism industry, the backbone of the country's economy, is under threat as coral reefs are killed off. But a US-born marine biologist known as "the coral gardener" says he may have a solution to the problem.

Fiji's tourism industry, the backbone of the country's economy, is under threat as coral reefs are killed off. But a US-born marine biologist known as "the coral gardener" says he may have a solution to the problem.